A well-defended territory is what some female hummingbirds find most attractive in a mate

Thursday, April 8, 2010 - 05:42 in Biology & Nature

When it comes to attracting a mate, flowers and sweets often do the trick - even for one of the world's smallest birds - the purple throated carib, a hummingbird species native to the mountainous islands of the Eastern Caribbean. Scientists recently discovered that it is in the best interest of male purple-throated caribs to defend and maintain a territory with a high density of nectar-producing flowers. Why? Because it is the quality of this territory - rather than flashy plumage or elaborate courtship displays - that attracts the most females...

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